The present invention relates generally to tape drives and cartridges that use a storage tape to store and transfer data. More specifically, the present invention relates a drive leader for a tape drive having improved strength, flexibility, and durability characteristics.
Tape drives are widely used for storing information in a digital form. These tape drives commonly use a storage tape having a thin film of magnetic material which receives the information. Typically, the storage tape is moved along a tape path between a pair of spaced apart reels, past a plurality of cores to record or read back information from the storage tape. A plurality of spaced apart, tape guides guide the storage tape along the tape path.
In one type of tape drive, one of the reels is part of the tape drive, while the other reel is part of a removable cartridge. For this type of tape drive, the reel that is a part of the tape drive is commonly referred to as a take-up reel, while the reel that is a part of the cartridge is commonly referred to as a cartridge reel. With this system, upon insertion of the cartridge into the tape drive, it is necessary to couple the storage tape on the cartridge reel to the take-up reel of the tape drive. Subsequently, the storage tape must be uncoupled from the take-up reel, prior to removing the cartridge from the tape drive.
Typically, a buckle is automatically coupled during insertion of the cartridge into the tape drive to connect a cartridge leader of the storage tape to a drive leader of the tape drive. The procedure of connecting the drive leader with the cartridge leader is commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cbucklingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccouplingxe2x80x9d. Subsequently, during ejection of the cartridge, the cartridge leader is unbuckled from the drive leader.
Unfortunately, existing drive leaders are not completely satisfactory. In particular, the drive leader contacts a number of components, including the tape guides and the cores during movement along the tape path. Existing drive leaders are relatively rigid and react against the bending required to move along the tape path. This increases the contact force between (i) the drive leader and the tape guides and (ii) the drive leader and the cores, as the drive leader is forced to conform to the tape path. The increased contact force increases the wear on the tape guides and the cores. Further, contaminants are generated by the wear on the tape guides and the cores. The contaminants are carried along the tape path onto the cores. This influences the performance of the cores and the tape drive.
One attempt to solve this problem includes using notches and embossed areas in the drive leader to avoid direct physical contact between the drive leader and the cores. However, this solution does not address the problem of direct contact between the drive leader and the rest of the components along the tape path and the contaminants that are later transported to the cores by the drive leader. Another attempt to solve the problem includes adding a low-friction coating to reduce the static and dynamic friction coefficients of the drive leader. However, this solution is also not completely satisfactory.
Further, extended and excessive use of the tape drive can cause existing drive leaders to weaken and/or tear. This can lead to a failure of the drive leader and leader runaway. Unfortunately, the tape drive must be disassembled to replace the drive leader and/or in a leader runaway situation. This can be very expensive. Further, the tape drive can""t be used until the drive leader is replaced. This can be very inconvenient to the customer because of the down time of the tape drive.
Additionally, existing drive leaders take a xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d and begin to curl after being tightly wound onto the take-up reel. Stated another way, existing drive leaders have a xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d or the tendency to mimic the shape of the take-up reel around which the drive leader is wound. As a result thereof, additional bending of the drive leader will be required to make the drive leader conform to the tape path. This will result in increased contact force, increased wear and increased contaminants in the tape drive.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive leader that reduces the amount of contamination that is created along the tape path and subsequently dragged onto the cores. Another object of the present invention is to provide a drive leader that reduces the wear on the tape guides and the cores. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a drive leader having increased strength, durability and flexibility. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tape drive that is relatively easy and cost efficient to manufacture and utilize.
The present invention is directed to a device and a tape drive that satisfies these objectives. The tape drive is adapted for use with a cartridge that includes a storage tape and a cartridge buckle component. The tape drive includes a cartridge receiver, a take-up reel, a drive buckle component, and a drive leader. As provided herein, the cartridge receiver receives the cartridge, the take-up reel receives the storage tape, the drive buckle component engages the cartridge buckle component, and the drive leader secures the drive buckle component to the take-up reel.
In one version of the present invention, the drive leader includes multiple layers that are secured together. For example, the drive leader can include a first layer, a second layer and a third layer that are secured together with an adhesive.
Preferably, the second layer includes a plurality of strands that are interwoven together to form a woven fabric core for the drive leader. The woven fabric core provides a tough, highly flexible center to the drive leader. The woven core is laminated on each side with the first layer and the third layer. The first and third layers cover the roughness of the woven second layer and provide the necessary stiffness to be able to feed the drive leader along the tape path.
The drive leader provided herein has much less beam strength and structural strength than previous drive leaders. As a result thereof, the drive leader readily conforms to the tape path and the drive leader smoothly tracks around the tape guides similar to the actual storage tape. Further, the drive leader does not bow and fight against deflection during movement along the tape path. This reduces the contact force between (i) the drive leader and the tape guides and (ii) the drive leader and the cores, as the drive leader conforms to the tape path. The reduced contact force minimizes the wear on the tape guides and the cores and reduces contaminants created by the wear. Further, because the drive leader has a reduced stiffness, the drive leader is less likely to scrape the tape guides and the cores.
Additionally, the woven fabric core creates a rip-stop mechanism for improved durability of the drive leader. Stated another way, the fabric core inhibits the propagation of a tear in the drive leader.
Further, the woven fabric core creates a stress-free construction that allows drive leader to be tightly wound onto the take-up reel without the drive leader taking a xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d, or a curl. As a result thereof, the drive leader remains flat when unwound after being subject to these conditions and the drive leader readily deflects to conform to the tape path.
Additionally, the present invention is directed to a method for coupling a cartridge buckle component of a cartridge to a take-up reel of a tape drive. The method includes the steps of providing a drive leader that includes a plurality of interwoven strands and securing the drive leader to the take-up reel. As provided herein, the method can also include the step of securing a drive buckle component to the drive leader.